Apellis Pharmaceuticals and Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi) have stopped the clinical development of the experimental therapy pegcetacoplan for cold agglutinin disease (CAD). The decision, which includes discontinuing a Phase 3 clinical trial of the therapy in adults, was based on a realignment of the companies’ priorities in…
Rituximab does not seem to increase the risk for severe outcomes compared with other cold agglutinin disease (CAD) treatments in people who have the disease and COVID-19, according to a review study. “Nonetheless, caution is advised when using rituximab in CAD patients with COVID-19 and underlying [autoimmune] conditions…
A young boy in Portugal developed cold agglutinin disease (CAD) and an inflammatory condition called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) secondary to an infection with the Epstein-Barr virus, which can cause infectious mononucleosis, or mono. The boy recovered fully after being treated with corticosteroids, a type of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive medication,…
Certain variations in genes that encode cytokines — signaling molecules involved in immune responses — may predispose people toward the development of cold agglutinin disease (CAD), a new study suggests. The study, “Cytokine polymorphisms in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia,” was published in Frontiers in…
While cold agglutinin disease (CAD) may vary widely in severity and course, more than half of patients experience symptoms of anemia (too few red blood cells) and have slower blood clotting that may lead to excessive bleeding. That’s according to a study in the U.S. that also found more…
Nearly 20% of people with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), including cold agglutinin disease (CAD), who required blood transfusions developed antibodies against proteins in donor blood that could compromise a transfusion’s safety or effectiveness, a study shows. These antibodies, called alloantibodies, were associated with a higher transfusion burden, lower…
Low levels of a protein that helps to regulate B-cell activity may explain why these immune cells turn highly active, overproducing so many of the self-reactive antibodies that cause cold agglutinin disease (CAD), a study suggests. This protein, called complement receptor 1 (CR1), acts as a control on B-cells,…
Treatment with erythropoietin (EPO), a hormone that stimulates red blood cell production, safely increases hemoglobin levels in adults with cold agglutinin disease (CAD) and other autoimmune hemolytic anemias (AIHAs), according to a single-center study in Italy. Data show the treatment was effective in patients with abnormally low levels…
The use of Enjaymo (sutimlimab) was seen to prevent symptoms of cold agglutinin disease (CAD) from worsening in an elderly man in Japan following repeated vaccination against COVID-19, according to a case report. The patient had experienced CAD-related crises after receiving a third and fourth dose of the…
Twice-daily dosing of ANX1502, Annexon Biosciences’ experimental oral therapy for autoimmune conditions such as cold agglutinin disease (CAD), reached the desired levels in the blood of healthy volunteers who took part in a Phase 1 clinical trial. Taken by mouth as a liquid suspension, ANX1502 was well tolerated,…
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